With the current popularity of in-line roller skates, attention has been directed to the problem of heat build-up in the boot during extensive use, especially during hot days. This problem is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,033. In that patent the problem described is exascerbated by the materials used in making the ski-type boots currently used in in-line skates as well as by the rigidity of the boot itself. Additionally, the lack of air circulation within the boot causes build-up of moisture. This combination of excessive heat and dampness makes the use of these boots less desirable.
Heretofore, the solutions advanced for dealing with these problems have been limited. In the cited patent, the solution advanced is to provide the boot with ventilating holes in combination with a free-floating liner. This combination is intended to create an air pumping action between the liner and the outer shell during use of the skate.
At best, such systems have limited utility because the pumping action, if any, necessarily is localized to the area of the ventilating hole and because the ventilating system relies essentially on a misfit between the wearer's foot and the outer shell. In addition, the pumping action, if it occurs at all, necessarily occurs on the upper portions of the boot in the immediate area of the ventilating holes, and thus provides cooling, if at all, to a limited portion of the wearer's foot. In addition, the quantity of air that is moved through the boot is limited because movement of the wearer's foot is limited. Since pumping action occurs no more than once in each step of the wearer, there is no cooling action during gliding, which is common during skating both on flat terrain and downhill areas.